Beechcraft 65-A90 N129LA

Summary

On 2 March 2010 at about 19:45 local time, a Beechcraft 65-A90 registered N129LA, operated by Eagle Air Transport, was involved in an accident near DeKalb, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 March 2010 at 19:45

Classification

Accident

Location

DeKalb, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

De Kalb Taylor Municipal Airpo (DKB)

Coordinates

41.8893, -88.7493

Aircraft

Beechcraft 65-A90

Registration

N129LA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Eagle Air Transport

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

DeKalb → DeKalb

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA143

Nobody was injured.

The collapse of the landing gear during landing due to the company's improper maintenance practices and the pilot's decision to take off with an overextended landing gear strut.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The Beech King Air had undergone maintenance that included a landing gear disassembly and inspection in preparation for the airplane's sale. Following the landing gear inspection, the left main landing gear strut was overfilled to an extension that exceeded maintenance specifications due to the strut not being able to maintain the manufacturer's specified pressure/extension. In preparation for a maintenance test flight relating to engine throttle adjustments, an asymmetric left fuel load was used by the pilot in an attempt to compress the overextended strut at an airplane weight that was less than the maximum gross weight of the airplane. Upon completion of the flight, the pilot returned to the departure airport where he attempted a landing with a left quartering tailwind and with the airplane flaps fully retracted. The airplane touched down between the runway centerline and right side of the runway. The left main landing gear then collapsed, and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. The pilot, who was the also the president of the company that performed the landing gear inspection and other maintenance items, reported that the landing gear was a Beech Queen Air part. Examination of the left main landing gear cylinder revealed that it separated at the lower joint above the upper torque knee. The joint exhibited corrosion and paint on its mating surface. The braze coverage in this area was noted to be acceptable with no anomalous voids. The separation was consistent with torsional overload. The examination also revealed that the landing gear shock assembly was a Beech Queen Air part that was not approved for installation on Beech King Air airplanes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.